Featured in IJP Magazine- the Dutch Icelandic horse Magazine – Spring Edition

15 Mar

The spring edition of IJP Magazine, the national Dutch Icelandic Horse Magazine from NSIJP (the Dutch Icelandic horse studbook, recently arrived in my mailbox, a meaningful moment within my ongoing work.

In this issue, my photography is featured alongside an interview about my approach and vision in photographing the Icelandic horse. The interview offers insight into my way of working that is rooted in observation, patience, and allowing moments to unfold naturally. What makes this publication particularly special is that it not only presents my images, but also includes photographs of me in the field. Being on the other side of the lens is rare and it adds another layer to the story behind the work.

The photographs published in this edition were created across multiple locations, including the Netherlands (islands Vlieland and Terschelling), Germany, Iceland and Denmark. Each place contributes it’s own atmosphere, landscape and context to the broader narrative.These images are part of my Icelandic Horse Project, a long-term photographic documentation of the Icelandic horse, exploring the relationship between horse, landscape and human across different countries.

The magazine also features information about the upcoming exhibition in May 2026, marking a next step in bringing this work into physical space.

I am so grateful to the editorial team, all volunteers, of IJP Magazine for the thoughtful feature and for presenting the work with such care.

THANK YOU!

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Here the IJP Magazine complete feature translated to English with permission of Fleur Ringalda, the interviewer and writer of the Dutch text.

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IJP MAGAZINE • SPRING 2026 ISSUE • ICELANDIC HORSE PHOTOGRAPHY

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Photographer Iris Van Velzen:
From Fiery Pacers to Sleeping Foals

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Interview by Fleur Ringalda
Originally published in IJP Magazine (Dutch Icelandic Horse Magazine), Spring 2026

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Flat on Her Stomach at Sunrise

*Photographer Lutra Photo - Teake Otter*

At first light, a woman is lying flat on her stomach in a meadow. What on earth is she doing there? Slowly, she raises herself into the classic yoga cobra pose, camera in hand. She exhales, focuses her lens and starts shooting. Around her, foals frolic under the watchful eyes of their mothers.

Animal photographer Iris van Velzen has left home in the early hours of the morning. She is out working on her foal project and would not miss the sunrise for anything. You may also find her in that same cobra pose on the beach, during a personal photo session, or lying among the lava rocks of Iceland for her herd project.

With a camera in her hands, Iris can be found in almost every imaginable position, sometimes looking as though she is practically swimming. When a subject captures her interest, no effort seems too much. She is selective about what she photographs, however. Her main subjects are dogs and Icelandic horses, occasionally with their owners playing a supporting role.

Over the years, IJPMagazine has frequently used her photographs to illustrate articles or feature on the cover. This year marks Iris's tenth anniversary as a full-time animal photographer. It is high time to put the photographer herself in the spotlight. In any case, make a note in your calendar: an exhibition of her work will be on display in Vlagtwedde during the first weekend of May 2026.

It All Starts with Rats and Snapshots

The seeds of Iris's future career are already being sown during her childhood, although she is not aware of it at the time. As a young girl, she already knows one thing for certain: later in life, she wants to work with animals.

She grows up with, among other things, a dog and pet rats, and becomes fascinated by Icelandic horses at an early age. Her father, an enthusiastic photographer, introduces her to the idea that photography can simply be part of everyday life. She takes plenty of snapshots and tries to capture her subjects as beautifully as possible. She is not yet seriously engaged with the technical side of photography, but she has a strong creative drive. At school, she also loves to draw.

After leaving school, she starts working at stables and completes internships at horse businesses, including Punktur and Stoeterij Fitjar. She also spends some time working at Stal Edda on the island of Vlieland. Iris discovers how much she enjoys riding there. She leads rides across the beautiful island, but also discovers that she struggles with some tourists who see a horse merely as a kind of transportation.

She also finds it more difficult to compete in competitions from Vlieland. She misses that aspect of the sport. All these experiences eventually lead her to return to the mainland, where she begins training as a veterinary assistant. When it turns out that this is not quite the right fit either, she later enrolls in the instructor and trainer programme in Deurne.

She starts her own business as a full-time pet photographer:
Iris van Velzen Fotografie.

Iris successfully develops her skills as an instructor. Along the way, she occasionally comes up against her own insecurities: she does not consider herself particularly tough or naturally talented as a rider. She does enjoy teaching, especially beginners. She is able to put herself in their shoes, including when they are nervous or afraid. She discovers that she can help riders deal with their fears.

At the same time, she notices that she absorbs the energy of her students, which can be extremely draining. Once her students become more confident and capable riders, Iris usually refers them to another instructors, such as Maaike Burggrafer. After teaching for almost twenty years, she eventually loses her passion for it and decides to stop teaching.

Gradually, everything begins to fall into place. Iris discovers a profession that allows her to work with animals while also expressing her creativity. In 2016 she finally makes the decision to pursue it fully. She starts her own business as a full-time animal photographer: Iris van Velzen Fotografie.

Over the years she has photographed many riders and horses at all kinds of events.

They are not necessarily the very best horses that become her favourites. Sometimes she sees a horse tölting or pacing past at full speed and immediately knows that it will look particularly striking through the camera. Showing the versatility of the Icelandic horse is something she is passionate about.

At a competition the horses initially stand almost lazily in simple temporary paddocks, grazing side by side. When riders accustomed to larger horses see them, they may react affectionately: “Oh, what cute, hairy ponies, with such beautiful manes and tails. I’d love one of those for my daughter.”

They hardly take the Icelandic horse seriously. But later, when they see one of these fiery tölt horses flying around the track, their jaws drop in amazement. By the end of the competition day, they are talking with genuine respect about the strength and beauty of the breed.

AHA Moment: The 2007 World Championships Icelandic Horses

At the exceptionally well-organised 2007 World Championships in Oirschot, Iris experiences an AHA moment that will determine the direction of her future life.

During the T1 final, she watches one beautiful horse after another enter the track. Then super tölt horse Jarl frá Miðkrika appears with his rider, Stian Pedersen. Iris sees Jarl both in real life and enlarged on the big screen.

The sight of this spectacular horse literally gives her goosebumps. An idea immediately comes to her:

“I want to be able to capture this. That enormous versatility of Icelandic horses. They can be so spectacular in a final like this. Other people should be able to see this too! How amazing would it be if I could photograph it properly?”

At that point, she had to figure out how, because she did not yet have the technical skills required to photograph this kind of action properly.

Passion and Perseverance

Iris says she is not a natural talent. What she does have is tremendous drive and the determination to keep going.

“My first photographs were nothing to write home about, but I chose to keep photographing. Even when I am at an event, I really take photographs instead of simply being there as a spectator or sitting around chatting. I have a great passion for animal photography. I know what I want to achieve, and I am fully committed to getting there.”

Iris has no shortage of inspiration. Often, an idea develops in her mind about how she would like a photograph to turn out. But bringing such an idea to life does not happen automatically. That is why she continually works on improving her technical photography skills while developing her own style.

To do so, she takes various courses through Unleashed Pet Photography Education, founded by an Australian and a New Zealand-based top photographer. They have created a learning platform that students from around the world can join. They also offer both online and in-person education.

Their aim is to help photographers who specialise in animal photography develop their skills further. They have established a competition system in which they and other photographers at the same high level act as judges. They also organise specific challenges, and Iris has participated at every level.

The fact that she has now achieved her “Associate accreditation” is not really what matters most to her. Accreditation, much like competing in equestrian sport, is a valuable way to set yourself a goal and work towards improvement. What matters most to Iris is that the process has made her a better photographer who has much more to offer her clients.

One of the things Iris values most about the platform is the feedback she receives from photographers from all over the world. In her everyday work, she mainly talks to clients. That is very different from discussing your work with fellow photographers.

It also makes a significant difference to her whether someone is a people photographer or an animal photographer. A people photographer communicates with the person during a photo session rather than with the animal. For Iris, the animal is the starting point.

At Unleashed, she continues to refine her own style. That is reflected in her photographs.

Iris will probably continue to photograph competitions from time to time, but the main focus of her work lies in the natural environment, capturing animals in their natural habitat. That is a very different discipline.

She deliberately chooses not to have other people around when she is photographing in a meadow or among a herd, because their presence can distract both her and the animals.

“I know what I want to achieve, and I am fully committed to getting there.”

Foal Project: Young and Fluffy

Photographing foals is one of Iris's specialities. She prefers to photograph them during their first few weeks of life, in their natural surroundings.

She arrives just before sunrise and spends around three hours photographing. At that time of day, everything is wonderfully quiet. Whatever you do, do not stop by for a friendly chat. It immediately changes the dynamics within the herd.

Iris wants to capture the young foals, with their still-fluffy coats, in the soft morning light. Sometimes she has a particular image in mind that she hopes to capture.

She tries to document an entire morning rhythm: the foal waking up, having a good yawn, stretching, playing with another foal, drinking from its mother and eventually going back to sleep.

One of her greatest wishes is to photograph the birth of a foal at sunrise or sunset, with nature as the backdrop.

Her foal project receives a major boost in 2014. Iris is given the opportunity to breed a foal at Stal Edda, when Krista Möbel makes one of her mares available to her.

During the season when Iris's foal is born, two other mares belonging to Krista also give birth. Iris spends hours with the three mares and their foals in the expansive dune landscape, observing and photographing them. She also frequently captures the interaction between the foals.

She absolutely loves it. One photograph from that period is particularly close to her heart. It shows her foal yawning extensively, although you cannot see its teeth. She would still love to capture that moment properly one day, but it is not something you can control.

Iris often lies flat in a meadow among herds, with her camera in front of her. Some of these moments remain etched in her memory forever.

Like the time she was with a small group in which one mare had already given birth while three others were still heavily pregnant. Iris focused on the foal's morning routine and took photograph after photograph.

Eventually, the little animal became tired. It lay down, and Iris was able to very carefully lie down nearby. Its mother stood watch over the foal.

Slowly, the other mares began moving closer. Then they lay down as well. Iris stopped taking photographs. She felt privileged to be allowed to lie there in a circle with the mares and the newborn foal.

It was not long before they were all deeply asleep, and the horses began making those funny sounds they make while sleeping. Add the spring sunshine and the chorus of early morning birds, and you could easily imagine yourself in paradise.

She recalls another photo session during which a young colt was lying in the meadow and suddenly seemed to decide that Iris was lying a little too close to him.

The little horse looked carefully towards this strange human creature and decided to get up. He found his balance, and Iris assumed he would walk away. Instead, the opposite happened.

He came towards her and lay down even closer. His mother was perfectly comfortable with it. Iris had experienced something similar with dogs during photo sessions, but with a foal only a few days old, it was something very special.

Not wanting to bring the moment to an end too soon, she put her camera aside.

This was pure enjoyment.

Herd Project: Rugged and Pure

Iris's herd project is very different in nature. She photographs Icelandic horse herds in their natural surroundings, in different parts of the Netherlands and far beyond.

One example is her working visit to Romania, where she travelled at the invitation of Janneke Vos. She was pleasantly surprised by the untouched landscape and carefully captured the relationship between the rugged herd and its unspoilt surroundings.

Looking at the photographs from that trip, you can see just how naturally the Icelandic horses belong in that landscape.

In 2023, she took part in a workshop organised by Unleashed Education in Iceland. She had dreamed of going there since she was eighteen, and ultimately it took another quarter of a century before she finally made it.

There, all her passions came together: Icelandic horses and dogs, photography alongside other eager photographers, challenging one another, learning from each other and receiving immediate feedback from the instructors.

She absolutely loved it.

If you have Icelandic horses somewhere in an interesting location, provided they are living fully in nature, do not hesitate to get in touch with Iris. She enjoys photographing herds, large or small, that are free to roam through all kinds of landscapes.

When a project takes place abroad, she looks for collaboration with people who live there. They can sometimes guide her to the most extraordinary locations. They may also be able to provide accommodation, helping to keep the costs down.

Of course, these kinds of photographic trips are expensive undertakings. Sometimes the resulting photographs are not necessarily something the owner immediately knows what to do with, according to Iris, although that is difficult to imagine. She therefore always asks what the client has in mind.

A photograph of a group of horses that seems to merge into the landscape is something completely different from a portrait of a riding horse in action.

Foal shoot: Ylur frá Virkinu on Vlieland, 2014.

Personal Photo Sessions Until Sunset

This brings us to another aspect of Iris's work: photographing clients who want their animal to be the central subject and would like to have a beautiful piece of photographic art made from the images.

First, she listens carefully to what the owner wants. If it fits her style, she is happy to take on the project. She is not, however, available for weddings and parties or for conventional “large-horse photo sessions”.

There is no need to worry about having to get out of bed before sunrise for these photo sessions. Client sessions take place towards the end of the day.

In the morning, Iris likes to assess what the weather is likely to be that afternoon. This can sometimes be very different from what was forecast the previous day.

She never photographs in the middle of the day because she finds the light too harsh and the shadows too strong. For a session involving a person with their dog or horse, she prefers good weather and warm afternoon light.

It is simply unfortunate when the sky is heavily overcast or it is raining heavily. A soaking-wet dog, wet horse or drenched owner generally looks less appealing in a piece of artwork.

When photographing riders on horseback, her background as an instructor is an advantage. She might tell a rider, for example, “Go and have a nice ride first.” Afterwards, she can give them specific tips to achieve particular effects.

In this way, she can help the rider realise the photographic result they have in mind.

She also has a natural connection with dogs and their owners because they share a passion: the bond between people and animals.

During the conversation, a friend is mentioned who asked Iris several years ago to photograph her small herd. Iris immediately responds to the memory.

When asked whether she remembers all of her photo sessions, she says she does.

“Sometimes I don't remember the client's name exactly, but as soon as I see the photograph, or encounter a horse I have photographed somewhere, the entire moment comes back to me with incredible clarity.”

Naturally, she does not take just a handful of photographs. She likes to take her time and work extensively. Every photographic process she undertakes is unique to her.

Photo shoot in Iceland, 2024, Lysingur.

Summer 2023: A Dream Comes True

Have there been other particularly special moments in her life as a photographer?

“Oh yes, 2023 was a very special year for me. My dream of photographing the World Championships came true. I had attended several World Championships before, but simply as a spectator who also happened to take some photographs.”

She then combined the trip with a visit to Iceland. First, she travelled there with her husband for a holiday. Afterwards, she took part in the Unleashed workshop and finally visited friends who live on the island.

She also spent time photographing Berber Zoradrager, whom she has photographed several times before and with whom she enjoys working.

It was certainly a very busy schedule for someone who loves the peace and quiet of nature.

Iris sighs: “I wanted to do it all, and I don't regret a moment of it. In fact, I simply want to go back more often.”

“My dream of photographing the World Championships came true.”

Sources of Inspiration

Where does Iris find her inspiration?

Nature in general is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for her. She has also always been interested in people who engage in creative processes inspired by nature.

They may be photographers, but also people who draw or paint.

Recently, she visited Els van der Tas for an evening of knitting Icelandic sweaters. Els had a photography book by Jimmy Nelson lying around. He specialises in photographing Indigenous peoples.

That inspires Iris enormously.

A landscape she sees in a film can also catch her attention. Suddenly, an image appears in her mind that she would love to recreate.

She also has a large collection of books that stimulate her creativity, including The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, Creative Flight by Chris Orwig and Creative Calling by Chase Jarvis.

These books explore personal development, personal growth and the process of discovering your creative power alongside a “regular” profession or other activities.

Before she starts working, Iris likes to feel inspired. Sometimes she already has a clear image in her mind of what she wants to create.

When she goes out, she almost always has some kind of visual wish list. But once she arrives at the location, things almost always turn out differently.

And that is perfectly fine, she believes.

“That is partly because of my subjects. They are living beings, and on the day of a photo session they have their own mood. Different weather conditions and the state of nature also add another dimension.

Over the years, I have learned how to turn a moment of inspiration into a photograph. Occasionally, I have a client who explains what she has in mind, but if I cannot see that image myself, I cannot create it.”

Are there any particular horses or events she would still like to photograph?

Oh yes, plenty.

She does not have one single favourite horse, but several, and her tastes have changed over the years.

One of her greatest wishes is to attend and photograph a Landsmót one day.

“I will, of course, continue working on my projects, photographing herds and foals in as many different countries as possible. I want to document how Icelandic horses relate to all kinds of landscapes. Scotland, Wales and Ireland are high on my list.”

It would, of course, be wonderful if a sponsor came forward to support these journeys, for example someone who could provide accommodation and meals in exchange for photographic work.

She would be happy to undertake commissioned trips of this kind.

At the moment, there is no sponsor, and such a photographic journey is a very expensive undertaking.

Her long-term vision is to eventually create a photography book featuring Icelandic foals and herds from around the world. Through her photographs, Iris wants to show everyone what makes the Icelandic horse so unique.

The Exhibition: More Than a Decade in Photographs

As mentioned earlier, Iris is preparing an exhibition. It will take place from 1 to 3 May 2026.

All aspects of her work will be represented. Photographic artworks, including some in very large formats, will be displayed across part of the grounds, a barn and the garden.

Her work has been shown publicly before, for example when she has had a stand at events. There, visitors can see, among other things, a slideshow showing the entire photographic process, from the first photograph through to the final result.

This exhibition goes further.

Iris has come up with the idea of involving visitors interactively in the photographic process, allowing them to experience what it is like to see the world through a photographer's eyes.

But visitors can also simply take their time and stroll past the photographs.

The exhibition will be held at Rustpunt MoeNieks in Vlagtwedde.

If the weather is good, visitors can sit in the garden with a cup of coffee and a homemade treat. Or they can settle into one of the seats around the farmyard.

Bring your knitting or your watercolour sketchbook, or simply have a chat with other visitors.

There is no rush.

Afterwards, you can take a beautiful walk. A walking trail leads directly from the property through the varied landscape of the stream valley.

Iris hopes that people will find the peace and quiet to enjoy “the animal in nature”.

She already has all kinds of ideas in her head, although they still need to be developed.

Throughout everything she has undertaken so far, her deep love of animals has been the thread running through her life.

She has always recognised her creative ambitions as well.

Now everything comes together in the exhibition.

Somewhere in the exhibition, she is creating a small space where visitors can experience what she experiences during a photo session in the middle of nature.

At rest stop MoeNieks, of course, you do not have to do anything at all.

But you would be missing an opportunity if you did not take the chance to lie down for a while yourself, perhaps even flat on your stomach.

Iris van Velzen Photography Anniversary Exhibition

Friday, 1 May 2026: by invitation only.

Saturday, 2 May and Sunday, 3 May 2026: everyone is warmly invited to visit the exhibition free of charge between 10:00 and 17:00.

Location: MoeNieks, Vlagtwedde, Groningen, the Netherlands.

Find Iris Online

Website:www.irisvanvelzen.nl

Email:info@irisvanvelzen.nl

Facebook: irisvanvelzenfotografie

Instagram: irisvvelzen

YouTube: irisvanvelzenfotografie